Next In Line
by bluebinder
Summary: Mai is chosen to take over as Joker for Amu, but can she handle this new chapter in her life? New transformations and powers and abilities are discovered and though it can be stressful being a Guardian, she might have a little help. Mai is replacing Amu but that doesn't mean that she isn't bringing something new to the table.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello Shugo Chara fans! I'm bluebinder and like so many people, I like writing and I like Shugo Chara so I decided to combine the two. Though this is a new account, I am not new to this site or writing fanfiction. Please, please, please tell me if you like this story and what I can improve on. So follow or review or both. Thank you so much!**

I was walking to school when I saw two junior high boys bullying an elementary school student that I recognized. He was in my class and they were forcing him to hand over his lunch so they could smash it to the ground. I stood and stared at them as they ruined this boy's lunch. When they saw me looking they yelled and threatened me. I put my head down and walked away quickly.

Later that day, a girl was making fun of a girl in the bathroom because of her new glasses. I wanted to tell her I liked them, but I didn't want to be embarrassed.

At lunch, I wanted to share my lunch with the boy whose had gotten destroyed, but I didn't want to stand out. This always happened; I would want to help someone or say something in class but I was too shy and afraid I would make things worse if I tried to help. So that night, as I sat in bed and thought about the boy and the girl that had been picked on earlier that day, I prayed to anyone, to anything to help me become stronger and more courageous, and then I fell asleep.

When my alarm went off the next morning, it was six thirty and the sun had just begun to rise in the sky. As I started to get out of bed, I noticed something rolling around under the covers. Thinking it was a sock, I grabbed it groggily but quickly realized that it wasn't a sock. I turned back my covers to see an egg in my bed. Curiously, I picked it up and was shocked to find it warm, but it wasn't a normal chicken's egg. It was larger and even had a picture on it. The egg was light blue, like the color of the sky, and on it, a feather was drawn onto it with wind-like swirls surrounding it. I started to examine it closer until my alarm clock sounded again. I realized that if I didn't start to get ready, that I would be late for school.

As I ran through my morning routine, I continued to think back to the egg and what I should do with it. I know that I didn't make it and my mom wouldn't have put it there, so who did? I was conflicted as to whether or not I should take it to school with me but decided to incase I got some free time to examine it more.

It was seven twenty when I left my home with my mother still asleep. I walked alone to school and saw no one until I got closer to campus. As I passed a narrow alley, I saw the same two boys bullying the boy from yesterday. They were trying to take his lunch again but all I could do was watch.

 _"I wish I could help"_ I thought to myself.

"Well maybe you can" I heard a voice say. It was clearly female but I was the only girl around. Suddenly, the egg I had hidden in my bag had risen and floated in front of me. Then, the egg began to crack and a tiny girl came out of it. She had blonde hair that was French braided into a ponytail and piercing green eyes. She wore shiny, metal armor with a sword at her side but her most obvious feature was the set of black wings that sprouted from her back. They resembled that of an eagles and they were magnificent. Then she spoke again.

"I'm Kimi, your Guardian Character and you're going to help that boy!"

"What? What's a-" but she cut me off.

"Character Change!"

A feeling, not quite like any other I had felt before, abruptly took hold of me. Before I could even think of how to react, my body started acting on its own. I walked straight up to the junior high boys and stared at them with the most disapproving face.

"Haven't you ever heard of the expression 'pick on someone your own size?' What makes you want to bully this poor boy?" The boys just looked at each other awkwardly and then back at me.

 _"Who is this? This isn't me!"_ I started to panic but the same emotion before rushed through me and those thoughts went away.

"What would your mother's think of your actions? You know, my father works at your school and I could easily direct you two to the principal's office!" The bullies looked scared now. "If I ever see you two picking on another kid, there _will_ be consequences. Got it?" They both nodded and quickly walked away. The boy that was in my class stared at me with awe and then suddenly, this new emotion was gone completely; it was like the plug had been pulled.

"T-thank you so much Okada-san!" He bowed his head low but I was already running by the time he started to look up.

A couple hundred yards later, I stopped to catch my breath. I put my hands on my knees and tried to comprehend what had just happened.

"That was awesome!" I heard the voice say from behind me. "We totally showed them!" I jumped back at the sight of Kimi again.

"Who are you and what is that feeling that I had?" I asked cautiously.

"I'm your Guardian Character. I was born last night from the dreams you wished about! You want to be strong and brave and protect others and I'm here to help you reach your fullest potential. I'm your would-be self. And that feeling you had was called a Character Change and it made you feel courageous."

I took a moment to wrap my head around the fact that there was a small girl telling me she was going to help me reach my dreams. I poked her in the stomach to make sure she was solid. "Can anyone else see you?"

"Only the people who have Guardian Characters and young children."

"What? There are others like you?" I couldn't believe that this "Guardian Character" existed, let alone others.

"Of course! Some people's heart's eggs are special and they need a little boost to help them thrive and that's how we're born."

I started walking again and began to evaluate all of my options. I could go to the school nurse, I could ignore her and hoped that she went away, or I could somehow manage to believe her and let her help me. I decided on the last choice and let her ride on my head to school.

Once I finally arrived at school with Kimi, I sat down in my seat, already exhausted from the morning. I was studying in my seat when I heard someone say my name, so I looked up. Standing beside my desk was Fujisaki Nadeshiko, the queen's chair of the Guardians.

"Are you Okada Mai?" She sounded so nice and I immediately trusted her.

"Y-yes?" I was so nervous. What could she possibly need or what from me? Was I in trouble? Then she handed me a fancy looking envelope with my name written on it.

"The Seiyo Academy Guardians would like to invite you to the Royal Garden for tea this afternoon. Please come if you can." Then she smiled sweetly at me and left the classroom. Everyone was staring at me and whispering because of the fact that it was extremely rare to be invited to meet with the Guardians. I could feel my face redden as I stuffed the letter into my bag and shoved my face back into my book.

Later that day, I frantically read the letter in the bathroom when I got a chance. I was so ecstatic but nervous. Since no one else was in the bathroom, I started talking to Kimi.

"What do you think they want" I asked her.

She sat on my head as she spoke. "I don't know but I bet it'll be fun! You could make some friends!" I seriously doubted what Kimi said but I agreed anyway.

At the end of the day, I stood terrified in front of the doors to the Royal Garden. There's no way I could provide anything positive for them

 _"What if I'm in trouble? I should just go home."_

As I turned to leave, Kimi blocked my way. "No way you're going home!" A devilish smile crossed over her face. "Or should I just Character Change with you?"

"No, no, no!" I gave into her threats. "Okay I'll go in but just stay out of sight."

"Aye, aye captain!" And then Kimi flew into the pocket of my shirt and I felt her settle down.

I took a deep breath and opened the door to the garden and the inside was more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. Flowers of every kind bloomed all around and a large fountain was placed in the middle of the structure. Beyond that was a table that was covered by an awning that all of the Guardians were at. They were talking and laughing but then fourth year Yuiki Yaya noticed me and quickly jumped up and pointed at me.

"There she is" she yelled.

The others stood and looked at me as I stood there petrified. I couldn't move or even talk, I was so nervous. Then Nadeshiko walked over to me. She smiled and took my hand gently to lead me towards the other Guardians and I followed. When we reached the table with snacks and tea on it, all five of them sat down, so I did too. Hotori Tadase was the first to speak.

"Okada-san, before we talk to you, we would like to show you something." I nodded in acknowledgment and then he spoke louder than was necessary for us at the table to hear him. "Hey guys, come over here and meet Okada-san." Before I could register what was happening, I saw about seven Guardian Characters come flying towards the table and my eyes grew as round as dinner plates. They all floated near their owners and they introduced their characters.

"This is Kiseki" said Tadese and his king-like character nodded at me and I nodded back.

"Pepe is my Guardian Character" Yaya stated excitedly but Pepe was too distracted with the food to say hello to me.

Nadeshiko was next and said "this is Temari" and her character bowed her head.

"His name's Daichi" said Kukai and he gave me a thumbs-up.

Amu was last but her Guardian Characters were especially interesting because she had three. "This is Ran, Miki, and Su" and then they all greeted me warmly.

I hesitated for a moment while they watched me, but I reached into my pocket and grabbed my character and put her in the palm of my hand. "This is Kimi" I said quietly. "She was just born today." Seeing that she was in the spotlight, Kimi opened her wings and made her way around to greet everyone. As she did so, Tadese looked at me and spoke again.

"Okada-san, we would like to speak to you about joining the Guardians."

 _"What? They want me to join them? But they already have all of the positions filled! What if they're trying to play a trick on me? Of course that's what they're doing. I should have just left."_ I suddenly became extremely suspicious but continued to listen.

"We would like you to fill the position of the Joker" he began. "You see, Amu is moving and her position needs to be filled. We've been looking for a month to find the right person and we've finally found you! Amu will train you and I'm sure you're going to be a natural at it."

"At what" I asked.

"My job," Amu said, "is to catch and purify X-eggs and fight Easter." I just sat there confused.

 _"If I make a run for it, I think I can reach the door before they catch me."_

"I'm sorry" she said. "I forgot that you don't know what these things are. All children have an egg inside their heart which represents their dreams. Sometimes, when someone starts to give up on that dream, their heart's egg turns black with an X on it, hence the term X-egg. I'm supposed to purify them so that the egg turns back to normal and that person's dreams are saved. A lot of the time, the company Easter is in charge of turning children's eggs into X-eggs and that's why we have to stop them. While it doesn't seem like much, it's quite a handful and an extremely important job, and now I'm going to train you to do it."

"She hasn't even said whether or not she's going to join" said Kukai lazily.

Yaya spoke as she stuffed her face with tea and brownies. "Well of course she's going to join us! She has to!"

"Yaya don't pressure her" said Nadeshiko.

Everyone was talking over everyone else and it was starting to get loud when the Guardian Characters started screaming and playing tag. I started to become overwhelmed by all this new information and noise and responsibility. Amu noticed and screamed at everyone to stop and then I started to calm down.

"So, will you join us and replace me?"

I thought it over for a moment but I thought about how this could be the start of a new chapter in my life. I asked myself " _what's the harm in saying yes"_ so I said I would. Everyone cheered and smiled and it felt great making them happy.

"There is a catch though" Amu said. "I'm leaving in two days."

"Are you joking?" I didn't mean to say it out loud but it just slipped and Kukai laughed loudly.

"I knew this girl was going to be secretly hilarious!"

My face reddened and I started to get extremely nervous, but all of a sudden, the feeling I had gotten from that morning returned in an instant. I felt confident and brave and my mouth started moving on its own.

"Yeah let's do this! I know that if I try my hardest, I can do it. Come on Hinamori-san!" And with that, Kimi and I were on our way to learn how to replace the Joker.

 **Also, I've recently discovered Vocaloid and I'm trying to find good songs. If you have any suggestions, let me know!**


	2. Chapter 2

**This is kind of a short chapter because I don't really know if anyone will read my story. But if you are reading and enjoy it, please give me feedback and follow and review! Also, if anything is kind of confusing because I didn't explain it clearly (like Mai's costume or abilities) just let me know and I'll try to explain it better. Thank you!**

After I had apologized for five minutes for being so aggressive with Amu, she laughed and brushed it off awkwardly. A moment afterwards, Ran came up to me and whispered that Amu was actually glad that I was excited to learn from her but that she'd never admit it.

"Guardian Characters can sense X-eggs, it's like they can seek out the broken dreams, so when I go X-egg hunting, I always ask if they can feel anything. But it seems like none are around right now."

As we continued to walk around the school campus silently, a question was burning in my mind.

"Hinamori-san?" She turned and looked at me with questioning eyes. "Why me? Why am I the one to replace you?"

She smiled at my confusion. "I actually had the same question. I kept asking the other Guardians 'how are we supposed to know who it is?' And then Tadese-kun showed me a letter written by the founding King of the Guardians. In it, it said 'if the one with three must be replaced, then the one with courage can do so.' I'm obviously the one with three and you're the one with courage. Your Guardian's wings resemble that of a black eagle and eagles represent courage."

I looked at Kimi, who was chasing Ran, and I stared at her wings.

"Are you sure I'm the right person Hinamori-san?"

"Call me Amu. If you're training to replace me, you might as well call me by first name." I nodded in acknowledgment. "And yes, we're sure. There's no one else here that has a Guardian Character."

"Mai," Kimi shouted, "I have a bad feeling in my tummy!"

"It's a group of X-eggs" said Miki.

"I hate to push you so quickly but can you Character Transform?" She didn't wait for my answer. "My heart: unlock!" Suddenly, a pink sparkling light surrounded Amu and then, she had transformed. She wore a pink tank-top that revealed her midriff, a pink skirt, and pink tennis shoes to match. "Amulet Heart." she said. Her demeanor had also completely changed, but I couldn't put my finger on exactly how. She just seemed more energetic. Kimi came flying over to me.

"I can do that too?" I asked her.

"Of course! You have to completely believe in yourself and me though."

I took a deep breath and mustered every amount of belief I had. "My heart: unlock!" A beautifully warm, magical feeling ran across my entire body and I was encased in a white light. I could feel the clothes on my body change and also, a rush of bravery coursed through my veins, then, the light faded and I was back in the present.

"Eagle Strike" I said instinctively.

I looked down to evaluate myself and what I saw shocked me. I was wearing brown knee high boots, black tights, a brown skirt that was made out of a rough material, a white V-neck tee-shirt, and metal armor covered my shoulders, upper torso, and back. Even though I was wearing many extra pounds of clothing, I didn't feel any heavier than usual. I also owned a new miraculous item: my very own set of wings that were as black as night.

Before another moment passed, Amu ran in the direction of the X-eggs and I was left alone.

"Kimi, what am I supposed to do?"

I heard her voice with my heart instead of my ears. "Just act with your instincts, not with your mind. Do whatever you think of and I'll be with you one hundred percent!"

" _Act with my heart_?" I asked myself but before I could think logically, I knew I had to go help Amu. So I opened my wings and took flight with my blonde french braided hair flowing behind me.

It only took me a moment to find her and she seemed to be holding her own fairly well against the group of black eggs.

"I need you to help me get them all in one spot!" she told me.

Somehow, I knew what to do and what to say. "Eagle's Sword." Then, a silver, gleaming sword appeared in my right hand. Though I had never even seen a sword in real life, holding this one felt natural, like it was made for me.

A moment later, I was flying after the X-eggs that were trying to escape and once I got the seven eggs in the general vicinity, I pulled out my sword. I flew around the eggs at top speed and as I did, I said "Golden Sword." My weapon began to give off a yellow glow that stayed even after I left that spot. After I was finished, the X-eggs were confined in what appeared to be a golden tornado of light.

"Great work" Amu said. "Now I'm about to purify them. You're going to have to do this soon so pay attention." She shaped her hands into a heart. "Negative Heart, lock on!" A brilliant light erupted from her necklace and began purifying the eggs. "Open Heart!" The pink light intensified and all of the eggs turned to white. Amu's glow faded and after a moment, the newly cleansed Heart's Eggs flew away.

* * *

During school the next day, the other students kept staring and whispering when I was around, no doubt talking about my meeting with the Guardians the day before. They must have suspected that I was to become the new Joker since almost everyone knew that the "cool and spicy" Hinamori Amu was moving the next day. But no one actually came to me and asked, only the rumors could speak for me.

After school, Amu and I didn't even go to the Royal Garden, we got directly to work. She told me that I would be purifying eggs by myself today.

"How do you know I can do it?" I asked nervously. Though I had my courageous Guardian Character, my fear of talking to my peers had not yet subsided.

"Because if you're the Joker you have to be able to. You're the next in line and the Guardian's secret weapon."

We walked in silence as our Guardian Characters searched for X-eggs.

"You know," Amu began, "you're actually a way better Joker than when I started. You accepted Kimi right away, joined us, Character Transformed, and helped purify eggs on your first day. I barely did that in a week!"

"Honestly, I was just too scared to say no or disappoint anyone" I said awkwardly.

Amu laughed hard at my response. "I know with Kimi's help, you're going to be an awesome Joker."

Before I could say anything else, Su said that she felt X-eggs and the others confirmed the feeling.

"My heart: unlock!" Amu and I said together. Pink and white light filled the area around us as we transformed with our Guardians.

"Amulet Heart."

"Eagle Strike."

The two of us, along with Miki and Su, traveled in the direction of the eggs and after a moment, we found them.

"Since there are only two," Amu said "I'll let you handle them and jump in if you need help."

"I got this!" I said confidently. "Eagle's Sword" and my weapon appeared in my hands. The broken dreams tried to get away but I was much faster than them. I flew over and began Golden Sword so they couldn't escape. Once the tornado of tight had them detained, I looked into myself to see what to do next, but was completely unsure. Finally, it hit me. I started to beat my wings towards the captured eggs.

"Wing Cyclone!" White sparkles erupted from my wings and a miniature wind storm swept up the two eggs. Though there was a cyclone formed on the school campus, it was very small and didn't seem to effect the environment too much other than ruffling some leaves. After a moment, the wind turned black with the dark energy that the X-eggs had been infused with and it dissipated into the air. While I floated to the ground and stopped my transformation, the newly cleaned eggs flew off to find their rightful owners. I suddenly heard clapping and turned to see all of the Guardians standing behind me.

"That was awesome!" Kukai said. The other Guardian Characters came over and congratulated Kimi.

"It-it was really nothing" I stuttered as my face grew red.

"Whatever!" said Yaya excitedly. "Even Amu-chi couldn't do that on her second day."

"We couldn't even get her to join the Guardians on the second day…." muttered Kukai.

"Hey!" Amu said angrily.

As everyone laughed, I could feel pure happiness as I stood among my new friends.

 **I've gotten my first favorite and review! Thank you to PrincessElkay for doing that. I super appreciate it! Have a great day everyone.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello! I hope you're having a wonderful day! There is some news at the bottom of the chapter so please read that. Thanks!**

* * *

After class ended the next day, Kimi and I went to the Royal Garden to see Amu, Ran, Miki, and Su one last time. Different teas and snacks were made for the occasion so it was like our own little party and for the first time in years, I felt included. We joked and laughed and I heard funny stories about Amu's fake "cool and spicy" outer character that had gotten her into so much trouble.

An hour and a half of fun later, Amu said that it was time for her to leave. When she finished saying goodbye to the other Guardians, she turned to me.

"I have something for you" she said as she reached into her bag. She pulled out her red Guardian's cap, which was folded neatly with a white envelope on top. "Since you're the new Joker, I figured you'd need the correct uniform." I gingerly took the gift from her hands and held it in my own. No friend had ever given me a present before and I looked at her with complete gratitude. "And besides," she added, "it doesn't match my style." I hugged her tightly and thanked her profusely. After that, she left the garden for the last time.

As I walked home, I tried on my new cape and talked to Kimi about our new adventure. We both agreed that we were excited about this opportunity, but as i was walking, and though I didn't see anyone, I had the odd feeling that I was being watched.

* * *

Two days later, the Guardians and I were meeting in the Royal Garden to talk about the recent spike in X-eggs. Tadese spoke to me first.

"Though you just started Okada-san, I'm afraid that you're going to have to go out more to purify more eggs."

"I can do that but where do you think they're coming from?"

"We've been trying to figure that out but have had no luck," Nadeshiko said. "We just have no idea."

Kukai spoke up. "But if you need help with the X-eggs, you can just say so and we'll help."

"Mai-chan, what are you using all the sugar" she grumbled. I was hoping no one would notice that I was using a lot of sweetener in my tea, but someone had.

"Oh sorry," I said, embarrassed. I explained that I had been diagnosed with hypoglycemia and how sometimes, I needed extra glucose to raise my blood-sugar levels.

"Is it serious?" Tadese asked in a concerned tone but I assured him it wasn't something to fret over, so we continued the meeting.

An hour later, I went X-egg hunting while the other Guardians split up to try to find the source of the spike of lost dreams. A saddening thought came to mind.

"What if they resent me for replacing Amu-chan?"

"They spent a month trying to find you and while they will miss her, you're a totally different person and they want to be your friend. You just have to learn to let them in" Kimi explained. Just as I was about to thank her, she spoke. "X-eggs, twelve o'clock and there's more than usual."

"My heart: unlock!" After the light had faded, I flew off into the direction Kimi lead me. A moment later, we were faced with about ten eggs, and while normal eggs tried to escape, these ones were mad. As soon as they saw me, they began attacking with their dark energy. As the attacks came closer, I felt an instinct with my heart.

"Feather Shield!" at the last moment, a large round shield appeared on my arm to protect me. After the energy had passed, the shield disappeared and I flew high into the air to buy me some time to think.

"If you get them all to chase you, you can lead them into a circle and do Golden Sword" I heard Kimi say.

"Sounds like a plan."

I dove down and taunted the X-eggs until they were angry enough to chase me. I flew around in a close circle and then retraced my flight pattern until the eggs and I formed a circle. I opened the form slightly so I was on the outside and then called for my weapon. I strategically placed the sword towards the eggs.

"Golden Sword!"

A yellow light erupted from my blade and as I circled the X-eggs, they were encased in the light. Once they were trapped, I stood back and began to beat my wings with great force.

"Wing Cyclone." The wind intensified and wrapped around the eggs. The tornado turned black when sucking up the dark energy and then disappeared and then the Heart's Eggs went on their way. I breathed a heavy sigh as Kimi and I returned to normal.

"Purifying that many eggs takes a ton of energy."

"You'll get used to it" I heard a male voice say. I turned to see an older boy reclining in a tree above me. He wore a black school uniform and had dark, mysterious eyes that were staring into mine.

"Who are you?" Kimi asked defensively as I was too stunned to speak. I doubted that he could see or hear her so I asked the question with my own voice. The boy suddenly dropped from the tree and landed on his feet gracefully.

"Watch out Mai, he gives me a weird vibe."

"Well that's not very nice" he said with a devilish smile as he walked closer.

"You can hear her? Then… does that mean you have a Guardian Character" I asked cautiously. I was afraid that if he didn't, I would look very odd.

"Well that would make sense now wouldn't it?" I stepped back as he came closer.

"What do you want?" I could feel my face flushing as he stepped in front of me. The boy was so close, I could have counted his eyelashes if I hadn't been too terrified to.

"Awe, what's wrong little Joker? What are you intimidated by? The fact that you've never had a boy this close or because I'm your enemy?" A smug grin spread across his face which made me blush more.

I ignored his nearness as I tried to comprehend what he had just asked.

"My enemy? The Guardian's only enemy is Easter. Do you work for them? But you're so young."

As I questioned him, a flash of sadness passed over his face but was quickly replaced with arrogance again.

"You wanna know a secret?" I nodded silently. The boy drew close as he whispered in my ear. "Go to Central Park at eight o'clock tonight." He pulled away and seemed completely serious. "But go by yourself. You'll get caught with the others" and then he began to walk away.

"Wait" I called after him. I didn't know exactly what I wanted from him, but I knew I didn't want him to leave. "What's your name?"

"Ikuto" was all he said before a cat's ears and tail appeared on his body and he vanished into the trees.

* * *

"Are you sure you're not going to call the others?" Kimi asked worriedly.

"I'll call them if something happens but we don't even know if that guy was telling the truth." I responded as I climbed out my window and into the backyard. Once through the gate, I started to make my way through the dark streets and towards the park.

Ten minutes later, I was at the entrance of Central Park and checked my phone to see it was 8:05. Suddenly, I heard music so I followed it to the center of the park and saw none other than Hoshina Utau and fans were gathering. I didn't understand why Ikuto would send me to a concert but I stayed to watch and eventually, Kimi spoke with a panicked voice.

"Mai, look at Hoshina-chan's back! She has wings that just appeared! And at the base of the microphone stand, there's a Guardian Character."

The Guardian had a devil's tail and horns and looked quite menacing but before I could get a better look at her, there was a complete change in the audience. X-eggs started to come from children and floated to the stage to be collected, but some were escaping.

"We must be finding the eggs that get away, but I didn't know that people could make X-eggs."

"We should get those eggs before they get too far" Kimi suggested.

I stepped behind a group of trees so no one would see me Character Transform. It took us the better half of thirty minutes to find and purify the children's dreams.

After purifying the eggs, I texted all of the Guardians as I walked home and we decided to talk about it Monday after school. Once in my bed, I thought about the mysterious cat-eared boy until I fell asleep.

* * *

 **Hello again! This will be my last chapter posted until i have confirmation that people are actually reading the story. I'm doing this because I have this whole story written on paper and it takes me forever to copy the chapters and what's the point of taking a ton of time out of my day if no one reads it. I still have 22 1/2 pages of this story on notebook paper so you see my dilemma. If you like this story, just let me know by following or reviewing. Thank you so much!**

 **tl;dr: I'll post more chapters if people actually are reading the story**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello! I've gotten some reviews letting me know that people are reading so I've decided to keep the story going. Thanks for the reviews and for reading! Keep letting me know if I can fix anything. Also, it's finals week so I have a bio test today, trig final and french final on Friday, lit final Monday, and sociology final next Wednesday. So I'll be really busy and won't be able to post much for the next few days but thank you in advance for dealing with it! And p.s., sassy Ikuto is the best Ikuto.**

* * *

Since the next day was Saturday, I got to sleep in and when I walked into the kitchen that morning, my mom was about to leave for work.

"I'm working a double tonight sweetie so I'll be home later. Call me if you need me and I love you!"

"I love you too" I called as she closed the front door.

I made Kimi and myself brunch and then we began to tidy up the house. As I was fluffing the couch cushions, a thought kept crossing my mind.

"Hey why do you think Ikuto helped us yesterday if he said he worked for Easter?"

She pondered my question for a moment before deciding on an answer. "Well maybe he's not a bad guy but works for bad guys."

"Yeah…maybe."

As we continued to clean, I kept trying to think of a logical explanation for the boy's actions.

An hour later, I was sitting outside and attempting to concentrate on my homework but to no avail. I couldn't stop thinking about Ikuto's motives and Kimi was chasing a grasshopper so I couldn't stop giggling at her. The sun was shining and I laid down in the grass to soak up as much warmth as I could as I tried to make shapes out of the clouds.

"Do you always procrastinate this much or is today an exception?"

I looked in the direction of the voice and saw the mysterious eyed boy and with him, he had a violin, and was sitting on the edge of the house's roof. His purple cat ears and tail were visible and I caught a glimpse of his Guardian Character for the first time. He was a purple cat that was wearing the same type of uniform that his owner had been wearing the day before. I stood quickly in case he had malicious intent but he didn't move, he only smiled.

"Why are you here" I asked quietly. I was embarrassed about a boy being at my house while my mother was away, and somehow, I knew he had planned it that way.

His voice turned cold and neutral. "I just wanted to give you some news. Easter knows who you are and what your powers are and they're interested. They've sent me here to try to recruit you."

"Recruit, like they want me to work for them?" I was stunned. I couldn't believe Easter would propose such a stupid idea.

"Yeah, and they sent a warning too," he added. "They said that they'll get what they want either way."

I thought I detected a sense of sadness in his voice, but I couldn't be sure. I felt a sudden rush of bravery and could tell that Kimi had Character Changed with me so I could defend myself.

"Well you bosses must be morons. Who came up with the idea to ask the Joker, the one that purifies the X-eggs, to make them?" I was angry but Ikuto showed a face of interest at my actions.

"I didn't know your Character Change was so feisty. It suits you."

"Tell Easter I wouldn't join them even if I was dead. Stealing and corrupting children's dreams is despicable" I spat back. I felt Kimi's power disappear from me as Ikuto stood to leave. I blurted out the question I had been wondering about all morning. "Why did you help me yesterday and how did you know I was looking for the source of the X-egg spike?"

He stared coldly at me for a moment before answering.

"You might want to keep the windows to your headquarters closed if you're going to talk about your secret plans." He turned to go but I knew I couldn't let him leave without answering my first question.

"That's a violin, right?" I called. "Do you play? And I'm sorry if I was rude a minute ago." It was true that I regretted being mean to Ikuto, but I hadn't planned on saying so because of my shyness, but it felt wrong not to apologize.

"Yeah."

"Can you play something" I asked as I sat underneath the tree again. "I'm sure you play well."

"What makes you say that?" his voice was neutral, like he was uninterested with the conversation.

"Your case. Even though it's white and would show dirt easily, it's completely clean, which tells me that you value your violin and it brings you happiness. How can someone play badly doing something they enjoy so much?"

He said nothing as an intrigued look crossed his face and he took out his instrument. He pulled it up to his neck and when Ikuto began playing, it was as if all of the birds and bugs and even nature itself stopped to listen. The song he played was beautiful but if one listened closely, they could detect sorrow in the chords. I could tell that this song was meaningful in the way he closed his eyes and swayed with the tempo.

When he finished, Kimi and I clapped profusely to show our appreciation. He started to pack his violin as I had a revelation, and I stood up.

"You don't want to work for Easter, do you?" I asked loudly.

"You're smarter than the average Guardian." Though he was being sarcastic, I could tell that no one had really figured it out before. He stood to his full height.

"I can help you! I don't know how but I'll figure out how to get you and whoever else out!" I couldn't let people suffer at the hands of that awful company any more.

"You can't." And then he was gone.

* * *

Monday, after school, the rest of the Guardians eagerly asked me about what had happened Friday night.

"Well…" and at that moment, for some reason, I decided to lie about Ikuto. "Kimi and I were taking a walk and heard music so we went to investigate. Hoshina Utau was giving an impromptu concert at Central Park, so we decided to stay and watch. But she had a Guardian Character who she Character Changed with and while she was singing, she made X-eggs. Easter is making and collecting eggs and the ones that escape are the ones we find."

"Then that means there are a lot more X-eggs than we previously suspected" Tadese said.

A tense silence crossed over the table but Nadeshiko's sweet voice pierced it. "How are we going to get ahead of Easter if they're giving impromptu concerts?"

"All we can do is walk around and hope we stumble upon another concert" Kukai said and Yaya started mumbling to herself.

"Sounds like a bunch of work…."

"It is but it has to be done" Tadese said.

An hour later, Kimi and I were walking home, and she asked me the question I had been hoping to avoid.

"Why didn't you tell them about Ikuto?"

"I don't know" I said after a pregnant pause. "I just don't think they'd understand. I was afraid they would still think he's an enemy."

She wore a disapproving look. "But they would be able to help. I think you should tell them."

"I know."

* * *

That evening, as I was walking back into my room after my shower, I noticed my window was slightly opened. Thinking I had done it and forgotten, I shut it and turned to my closet to get my pajamas. I saw a notecard taped to the door and retrieved it. Kimi landed on my head and asked what it was.

"It says 'Main Street, Thursday at six' but there's nothing else, not even a name."

"What does that mean and who left it?"

After a moment, an idea came to me.

"What if Ikuto left it and it's about Utau's next concert?"

"That seems like the only logical answer, but how can we be sure?"

"We can't" I said, frustrated, "but we have to hope it's from him…. I guess we're going to Main Street on Thursday."

"Isn't your mom going out of town Thursday? She wouldn't want you to leave the house."

I twirled my wet hair in my hands, thinking. I had never lied about something so important before and had no idea at what I would tell my mom. Kimi started snacking on almonds and I sat in my bed.

"I'll tell her that I'll be with the other Guardians and since we have a Friday break, it shouldn't be a problem. We can't let Easter destroy any more dreams."

"You're right. It has to be done."

* * *

 **And a big thanks to BlackRoseEden28 and a guest for reviewing!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello everyone! I hope you're having a good day. I just wanted to say thank you for reading and I would really, really, really love it if you reviewed. I feel like I'm not very good at writing action scenes and I would love suggestions.**

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On Thursday, Kimi and I arrived at 5:30 hoping to see where the band was going to set up, but there was nothing out of the ordinary happening. I had decided not to tell the other Guardians about the concert until it happened so that I wouldn't have to explain my anonymous tip-off. We decided to get some ice cream and window shop while we waited for six o'clock. The day was sunny and windy and my blonde ponytail kept whacking Kimi in the face. We were laughing and having fun but suddenly, Kimi stopped in midflight and a look of concentration was spread on her face.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I think there's an X-egg between those two buildings."

I took a step towards the building and said "well let's go investigate."

My Guardian Character led me to the secluded alleyway between two shops. It was dark and a dumpster was the only thing there and though I was scared, I knew that I had to purify the egg. We started heading towards the back of the building when pain suddenly erupted from the back of my skull and blackness overtook my conscious mind.

* * *

Bright white lights stung my eyes as I slowly opened them. It took me a moment to piece together where I was and what had happened. I had been knocked out and brought to an all-white room with one door and two dark tinted windows on either side of it. The room smelled so clean, it was nauseating. I saw Kimi flying around frantically and after a moment, she noticed me staring at her, still lying on the floor. She quickly flew over to me, her blonde braid following behind her.

"Mai! Are you okay?"

I gingerly touched the back of my head as I sat up and blood smeared my fingers. The pain was terrible but I knew I could bear it. "I'll be fine, but where are we?"

"I don't know where exactly but I know it has to do with Easter. They put me in a bag on the way here but heard them talking about Utau-chan and X-eggs."

A man's voice suddenly spoke from an intercom speaker located on the ceiling. He sounded very relaxed and spoke nonchalantly.

"You're at Easter's headquarters."

"What do you want? To keep me here until Utau-chan can steal enough X-eggs?" I was hoping I sounded more confident than I actually felt.

"Well that's only partially correct." For some reason, I could tell that a smirk was spread across my captors face. "Easter also wants your power." He then waited a moment before explaining, I assumed to gauge my reaction, but I didn't give him the satisfaction of seeing any emotion cross my face. "You're the only person we know of that can purify X-eggs without the use of a secondary object, like the Humpty Lock."

"So?" I spat back.

"Well we want your power and you're going to have to use it if you want to protect yourself" he said with a chuckle. And with that, two panels in the white room I was in began to move and about twenty X-eggs poured out of each opening. I could tell by their movements that they were hostile and looking for a fight. Once they had me in their sights, the fight immediately started. It wasn't really a fight though; it was more of me trying to dodge the eggs in the 12x12 room. There was no way I could have evaded all of them and then I knew what they wanted me to do, and reluctantly, I Character Transformed.

"My heart, unlock!" When the light and sparkles had subsided, I summoned my Feather Shield. It blocked most of the eggs when I held it up, but some were still attacking me from behind. I retreated into a corner and sat with my knees to my chest so the shield covered more of me. The X-eggs couldn't reach me, for the moment.

"Mai, let's purify them so we'll be safe!"

"No. That's what they want. We can't give them any power."

"Understood!"

* * *

I wasn't exactly sure how long I had been sitting in that corner but I was fairly certain that it had been at least an hour and a half, and I was beginning to feel extremely tired. Being Character Transformed actually drained a lot of energy my energy and a headache pounded in my skull and just the weight of my shield pressing on me seemed to be getting heavier over time. But as I became weaker, the X-eggs were gaining strength through their anger and persistence. Their attacks were becoming harder and harder to shield myself from and I knew they wouldn't stop any time soon.

"We've been transformed for a long time," Kimi pointed out. "How long do you think we'll last?"

"As long as we're both strong enough."

"You haven't eaten in a while and I can feel your strength leaving." While her concern would normally make me happy, I only felt agitated at her unnecessary comment.

"I'd rather pass out than let Easter steal another innocent child's dream."

A moment later, I heard a noise from above me that sounded like metal scrapping on metal. I wasn't sure where it was coming from but when I looked up, I saw the vent in the ceiling slowly moving to create a path to the air ducts. Yoru popped into view a second later.

"Give me Kimi!" he yelled over the commotion. "We'll be back for you but I can get her now!"

"No" she said rejecting his idea. "I won't leave you."

I hoped that my captors only thought I was talking to my Guardian Character but I chose my words wisely, just in case.

"How far away?" I asked vaguely.

"We have to find our way through the building but once we have Kimi, she can lead us to you."

I made a split second decision in that moment. I kicked Kimi out of the transformation and grabbed a hold of her. "I'm sorry" was the only thing I could bring myself to say as I tossed her up to Yoru. I saw her try to fly, but the wind from behind her prevented her from doing so. Yoru caught her and pulled her into the vent, all the while she screamed in protest. She tried to fight him, but Kimi was too weak from the constant Character Transformation so Yoru easily overpowered her. He closed the vent and I heard their voices grow softer. I was then alone with the X-eggs pelting me with their aggressive and painful attacks and I could only hope that Ikuto would be there soon.

* * *

It felt like another hour had passed and I had come to the realization that no one was on the other side of the tinted windows or else they would have noticed my missing Guardian Character. Or maybe they had known all along and they were now punishing me. I had no idea, but I did know that the X-egg's power was taking its toll on my body. Instead of sitting on the floor like I had been, I had to lie down instead because it had become too hard to sit up. My energy and blood-sugar levels were being drained. I closed my eyes as my hands began to shake and a headache presented itself. I knew at this stage, I wouldn't be conscious for very much longer, but I wasn't sure how much time I had exactly. Though I was scared, I was proud in the fact that Easter had no more power now than when this fiasco started and I was also extremely glad that I had been able to save Kimi but hoped that Yoru and Ikuto would be here soon.

As the minutes dragged on, I was becoming more and more sore and beat up. The X-eggs were relentless and I didn't think they would stop attacking for anything, but that's when I noticed that they had actually stopped. I opened one eye slowly to see them going back into their original openings. I was so grateful that they stopped. I only wanted rest and as I closed my eyes again, I could feel myself drifting away into the unconscious. As I was about to slip into the unknown, I felt a known feeling. Something familiar was dragging me back into reality and when I came to, Ikuto's face was right in front of mine. He was saying something that I couldn't comprehend but when I concentrated, I could tell he was saying my name.

"We need to hurry." He sounded somewhat calm but also panicked. "Can you walk?"

It took me a moment to speak the words, but when they came to me, I told him to get Kimi. I knew I wouldn't be able to do anything without her strength.

"Mai! Are you okay?" Tears stained her face and more threated to leak from her big, green eyes.

I nodded as I said "my heart, unlock" and we transformed into Eagle Strike. Once I felt some energy returning to me, I stood up shakily.

"Sorry we had to take Kimi. She needed to lead us to you." He said it nonchalantly but I could tell he was being genuine.

"It's fine. Let's go."

While him saying that meant a great deal to me and made the butterflies in my stomach go crazy, I knew we didn't have time to chitchat. We began to run through the labyrinth of a building, with Ikuto leading, but to my surprise, no one stopped us. When he Character Changed, he couldn't hear anything, which made the both of us slightly anxious.

"This isn't good" he said tensely. "This place is normally crawling with Easter goons." I sat down while he talked to try and conserve the little amount of energy I had. "You okay?" he asked when he noticed me. I nodded and suddenly, his ears perked up and he stood completely still. He then turned his head towards the other end of the hallway we were standing in.

"There are people coming from both sides." He sounded panicked and irritated. I attempted to open the door next to me, and to my surprise, it opened.

"In here" I said with a sotto voce voice.

We clumsily stumbled into the pitch black room and while I couldn't see it, I could sense we were in a large, low-ceilinged room. As Ikuto listed next to the door and I sat down, the room's lights were suddenly turned on, momentarily blinding me. The light revealed two men and a woman in lab coats standing at the other end of the room and in front of them, sat a medium sized metal box. The man in the middle laughed smarmily.

"You fell for our trap!" He seemed excited, like he hadn't expected his plan to work. "Now we can get you back in that room" he said, addressing me. I knew the group fully intended to put me back there but I knew that I fully intended never to go back. The man turned to Ikuto. "Why don't you run along and play somewhere else, little kitty? This doesn't concern you."

As if by immediate rebellion, Ikuto Character Transformed into Black Lynx. The look of anger in his eyes was palpable and the Easter employees were obviously scared. The woman snapped out of it and bent down to grab a remote control. Once she had the device in her hands, she pressed a few buttons and X-eggs began to shoot out of the metal box. Hundreds of eggs began to form a giant X-egg monster. It was terrifying and grew to be so tall that it broke through the ceiling and then continued to grow.

"This room is too small for you to fly or fight in!" Kimi said.

I glanced around, looking for anything helpful and then saw a door that would lead me outside and onto the roof. I took a deep breath and mustered every fiber of energy I had for this fight. I ran across the room, knowing Ikuto would follow, just as the head was forming on the creature. I bolted through the door and immediately took flight. When the thing was fully formed, it stood about thirty feet tall and it was incredibly angry. All of the dark energy from the X-eggs was fueling its rage, and the three Easter scientists were controlling it.

The monster swung its giant arm towards me, and I dodged it at the last second. I began to summon my Eagle Sword but Kimi spoke before I could do so.

"That thing's too big for Golden Sword and we can't just purify it like it is. We have to break it apart!"

I thought for a moment, dodging another swing, and then an idea came to me.

"Ikuto!" I screamed over the monster. He looked at me with questioning eyes. "Distract it!" He nodded back at me and then jumped up to meet its height. I couldn't watch though, I had to trust that he could do his job.

"Feather Shield!" It appeared as the monster's back was towards me and Black Lynx was slashing at it with his claws. I took a moment to aim and make sure I wouldn't hit Ikuto. I knew it would be close but that I would make it. "Feather Toss!" I yelled as I threw my shield like a Frisbee. A golden light trailed the weapon as it hit its mark: the enemy's arm. The arm fell to the ground and the X-eggs detached from one another. I caught my shield just as the monster hit my left side. I was slammed into the building and crumpled to the ground. Ikuto tried to get its attention by hitting it with Slash Claw, but it was focused on me. It roared in anger, letting me know it was about to strike. Before I let it land another hit, I shot into the air with my black wings and avoided being crushed. I flew up and around to its backside. I aimed my shield for its head and when I threw it, it hit its target. The horror's head crashed to the ground and the body fell towards the Easter scientists and they were able to get away in time. Unfortunately for them, their metal machine was destroyed in the process. My shield vanished as I readied myself for my next move. I began to beat my wings with everything I had and the X-eggs were being sucked into the windy vortex.

"Wing Cyclone!"

All of the eggs were now trapped in the cyclone and I was being pushed farther and farther into the air with every flap of my wings. The wind suddenly turned extremely black and then dissipated. The hundreds of newly cleansed Heart's Eggs sat there for a moment, confused, but then flew off to find their rightful owners.

I was about seventy feet above the building when everything hit me: the exhaustion, low blood-sugar, and the amount of energy that the fight had taken. It suddenly became harder to breathe and even harder to beat my wings. I started to fall and everything seemed to play in slow motion. The wind blew my hair, Kimi was kicked out of Eagle Strike, my eyes slowly closing, the darkness setting in, and then nothing.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm back! School is done but I'm taking two summer classes and working so I'm super busy. Thank for reading and please review, favorite, and/or follow!**

* * *

My eyes slowly opened and it took me a moment for them to adjust to the light. It was morning and I was in my bed, curled up with my favorite stuffed animal. I looked at my nightstand and saw a soda with a few drinks taken from it and some uneaten candy. I turned my head to the foot of my bed and saw Ikuto's back. He was working intently on his violin, like he was replacing a string. I sat up silently and touched his shoulder and while I expected him to jump or be startled, all he did was turn and look at me.

"You're up" is all he said.

"Yeah…." I guess I had expected something else after all that had happened the day before but Ikuto was the same as he always was. He started to pack up his violin.

"You should eat next time you're going to get kidnapped."

"Will you play for me?" I wasn't sure exactly why I had asked that and he looked taken aback. "Please?" I added. Part of me wanted him to stay because it meant protection but another part wanted him to stay because he made me happy.

He sighed and reached for his case as I leaned back in bed. He began playing a children's song that I knew. It was about a seed that desperately wanted to turn into a flower and after he started believing in himself, he began to grow. I hummed along softly with the melody as Ikuto played. When the song ended, we sat there, listening to the silence.

"What if they come back?" I asked without hesitation. I wasn't self-conscious about Ikuto knowing my worries so I didn't hold back.

"I don't think they will." he said coolly. I looked at him.

"Think? What happens if they do? And how did you know they took me yesterday?"

Questions poured out of me and I knew I wouldn't get very many answers. The boy started packing up again and then he walked over to my desk and picked up a note card. He wrote something on it and then strolled back over to me. He handed me the note card and I looked at it. It was a phone number.

"If you're in trouble, just call that number."

And with that, he opened my window, climbed out, and disappeared. Kimi came flying in a moment later.

"You're okay! How are you feeling?" She came over and landed on my head. "I was so worried."

"I know and I'm sorry. I'm tired but better. What happened last night?"

"Well I could feel your energy draining after we purified the eggs and then you started falling and then I was kicked out of the transformation. You were about to hit the ground hard when Ikuto caught you. I tried to wake you up but you were out cold. Ikuto brought you here and tried to get some food into you but you wouldn't eat much. Then, he stayed and made sure that Easter wasn't coming back."

It took me a minute to comprehend and take in all of the information but I needed more time to process.

"Let's go make some breakfast." I sat the note card I had been clutching close to me on my nightstand

As Kimi and I were eating, my phone rang with a call from Kukai. My nerves immediately skyrocketed.

"Hello?" I asked timidly.

"Yo, Joker! What happed yesterday?"

I knew I would have to explain my situation to everyone so I sighed and told him to tell the other Guardians to meet me at a café by the subway station and he agreed.

"Everything okay?" he added last minute.

"Yeah," I lied, "just have everyone there at three."

"Okay, see you then."

I leaned back in my chair and began to brainstorm about how I was going to tell the others about Ikuto and Easter's plans.

"They can help you. It's for the best and maybe they can help him too."

"Yeah" I said as I began to think of everything that could go wrong.

A few hours later, I headed to the café. I ended up arriving early out of nervousness, but the other Guardians showed up soon afterwards. Everyone but Yaya, who was more excited about the sweets, seem concerned and look at me with questioning eyes.

"What happened Thursday, Okada-chan?" Tadese asked innocently.

I sighed and began to explain everything. I started with how I met Ikuto and how he told me the locations of Utau's concerts and that I was afraid they would label him as a villain instead of Easter's victim. I then moved on to Thursday's concert and how I had been kidnapped. I stared at my lap because I was beginning to tear up and was too ashamed of myself. Once I had finished my story, I didn't look up, for fear that I would see angry faces. These were the first real friends I had had and I knew I had ruined it. I felt sure that I was going to lose them. I suddenly felt a hand on my head and saw that it was Kukai. He wasn't angry, in fact, he wore a smile. I mustered the strength to look at the others and saw that they were smiling too.

"I'm confused" I said while wiping away tears. "Aren't you mad at me for not telling you the truth?"

"Of course not" Nadeshiko said with her sweet voice. "we wish we could have helped you sooner but we're glad we know now."

I looked at all of my friends and as I looked at their smiling faces, I couldn't help but feel pure bliss.

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 **I don't really like this chapter but it needed to be written. Thanks for reading!**


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